Craigs Corner : Poker Blogs : Poker Tournaments : ProPokerGear.com

I Fought the Law…

March 19th, 2012 Written By: Craig

It’s soapbox time. The attack on poker players has reached epidemic status, and this attack pointless, wasteful and short sighted. However, as long as politicians continue to pander to religious zealots and narrow minded right wingers, nothing will change.
I was recently playing in a local club. Midway through this evening session a man walks in, identifies himself as the police and orders everyone to stop what they are doing and put their hands on the tables. Before too long, 20 more police officers were spreading out in the room.
As an aside, I have heard the horror stories about long time home games being raided in some of our simpler southern states where the police come in, smashing through doors, guns drawn, as if John Dillinger himself is holed up behind one of the tables. To their credit, the Nassau County Police Department, to a man/woman, handled us with respect and professionalism and they deserve credit for that.
So why am I on a soapbox? New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Delaware all have legal poker, but New York continues to stand on some moral high ground and refuses to legalize this game. In its battle to rub out this past time, Nassau County sent 20 or more officers into a room where a bunch of people were quietly and voluntarily enjoying a card game.
In the 2 hours the officers took to process us, they found a) no drugs, b) no weapons, and c) not one person with a warrant against them. The best they came up with was one man who had watercraft tickets dating back to the late ‘80s that he did not even know about. No one was drinking. No one was disorderly. No one was outside creating a ruckus. All they found were a group of men and women ranging in age from 20 to 70 playing cards.
Some of us engaged the officers in conversation while we waited for them to let us go. You see, playing cards is not illegal, so we all get let go. The conversation turned to what a monumental waste of time and money the entire procedure was.
Some of the responses the officers gave were as follows:
“We are protecting you because this structure is not legal and is unsafe. If there is a fire, many people could get hurt.” To that I say, thank you, but accidents happen. A fire can break out anywhere, legal or not. Wasn’t it more dangerous to crowd another 20 officers into this “deathtrap.”
“You’d be surprised how many players get robbed leaving these clubs.” Here’s a thought, instead of raiding these poker room hotbeds of criminal activity, why don’t you take the 20 men you took off the streets and send them out there to catch the actual criminals robbing players leaving clubs?
Nassau County is on the verge of cutting police jobs and closing precincts because of the budget crisis. In opposition, the union is scaring the residents into believing there will be a rise in crime if jobs are cut and precincts are closed. Just a reminder here, but you pulled 20 officers off patrol to raid a room where you found nothing but a card game. If you don’t have enough to do when you are full force, maybe cutting troops and squads is the answer.
I know some will say a crime is being committed, but let’s face it…even if it is a crime, it is truly victimless. Moreover, the only reason it may be a crime is because the New York legislature has failed to seize this cash cow by the horns and specifically say it’s legal and it’s taxable. The legalization of card rooms will result in increased jobs to the people and increased revenue to the state while solving all the issues already addressed in this post.
Having survived my first police raid, I’m anxious to get back on the felt. Unfortunately for the time being that may have to be in New Jersey only.

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My Bad Play, Another’s Bad Play, and a Lesson I Learned

January 23rd, 2012 Written By: Craig

Just back from the Borgata winter open and thrilled to report I have added two more cashes to my resume with a 29th place finish in event 4 ($560 freezeout) and a 10th place finish in event 35 ($230+100 bounty). Here I share my huge mistake, a general mistake made by my opponents, and my poker epiphany. All of this learned in the course of the 7 hour bounty tournament.

My huge mistake – I am a proponent of always being aware of everything going on at your table. If you lose sight of even one critical factor, you will be doomed to failure. Well, I did lose sight of one such factor and it almost cost me a bounty and the ability to receive value from AA.

With the blinds at $400-$800 I find AA UTG +1. I have about a 15k stack, and I limp in. I don’t ordinarily condone such a play, but I had two very aggressive players in late position. One was aggressive but weak in the cutoff. The other was a solid aggressive regular in the sb who would punish limpers if given the chance. I had hoped my limp would induce a limp fest, which it did…right past the weak aggressive player, and right past the aggressive regular to the BB who only had $1,475 left, a fact I let slip past me..

She put her remaining chips in. Since her bet wasn’t a full raise, all I could do was call, and get sick as five more people called behind me. I ended up taking AA against 6 other players, my worst nightmare. I had already decided I was going to check, and if there was action from multiple players, I would just fold. The flop came 7 3 4 rainbow. I checked, The next player shoved 17k. Thankfully everyone else folded. I called and saw I was up against 7 8. I survived, got the bounty, and chipped up huge, however my bad play did not warrant the positive result.

Another’s bad play – midway through this tournament I was moved to table 1. I had been fortunate to chip up to over 45k when I moved and was one of the tourney chip leaders. From the moment I moved I put on a clinic of solid play and expected some of the players to begin emulating my play. I was able to raise with reckless abandon, and stole many pots.

The strongest part of my game was bet sizing pre-flop. Every raise preflop (except 3 bets) was 2.2 to 2.4 times the BB. It used to be the standard to raise 3x the BB, but people began to realize that a smaller opening raise would get the job done, and protect valuable chips in the event of being 3 bet when you have opened a pot lightly. By raising smaller, I had more options on how to proceed in the hand if someone decided to reraise me. I could 4 bet and still not have to commit as many chips as I would have to had I raised bigger. I could fold without suffering a huge hit to my stack. I could call and again, not have invested as much as I would have had I raised bigger.

Late in the tournament, with the blinds at 1,000-2,000, the player to my right opened to 7,000, leaving himself 24,000 chips. He opened 3.5x the BB and for more than 20% of his stack leaving himself 12 BBs. He was 3 bet by a player that had him covered and ended up folding. His overall play was atrocious. If he had raised to 4,400, 2.2x the BB, he’d have saved more than a full BB when he folded. Chips become so important in later stages of tournaments, and he threw away a full BB plus without seeing a flop. He lamented his play, and commented that he should have raised smaller, I silently nodded my agreement and continued my solid play on to the money bubble where I had…

My Poker Epiphany – I admit I can be a sore loser, especially when a player makes a bad play and finds some miracle to beat me, but I realized people make calls or raises for many reasons, not all of them necessarily motivated by winning the tournament. This hand brought that lesson home to me.

Our money bubble arose around 1 a.m. The day before I had grinded to 29th place, and played until 3 a.m. in event 4. I was exhausted. Because of this I was responsible for sending two players packing on the bubble, sending us into the money.

I was at 75,000. The blinds were 5,000-10,000 with a 1,000 ante. 19 were left. 18 were getting paid. The short stack, with 6,000 in chips was at my table. After posting the ante, she moved all in for 5,000. Two players called the 10,000. It folded to me in the sb and I called the 5,000 with 2 4 offsuit. The BB checked. The unwritten rule is that if a player is all in, the players will check it down, unless someone makes a hand. This gives us the best chance to knock out the all in.

The flop comes 3 5 K. We check around to the last player who has the exact same chip count as me. He bets 30,000. I know he has a hand, and he can beat the all in. I also know that I started the hand with more chips then the all in so if we both bust out, I finish in the money. With all this in mind, I comment that my choices are I can shove and win a big pot, $200 in bounties, and have a shot at winning the event, or I can get knocked out, win 18th place and go to sleep. Either way, I win. With that I shoved all in. The bettor called with his set of 5s. I found an Ace on the river for my straight, knocking out both players and sending me towards the top of the chip counts.

The player with the set of 5s was so mad, but I pointed out that I made the call because I did not care. I was happy whether I won the pot or went to sleep. I had already collected enough bounties that the tournament was paid for, and I was guaranteed 18th place money so I gambled. It was then I realized that when a player calls me, that player isn’t necessarily calling because it’s the smart play.

I will keep that in mind the next time you say call when I see you on the felt.

Craig

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My Final Table Breakdown

December 1st, 2011 Written By: Craig

Two weeks after my victory in Event 6 of the Borgata Fall Poker Open, I’ve had time to sit back and reflect on the final table. Here I breakdown the key hands that led to my victory. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I enjoyed playing it.

The final table began 10 handed with blinds at $40,000-$80,000 and an ante. I was in the 9 seat sitting third in chips with about 1.2 million. There were just over 9 million chips in play. To my left I had a solid aggressive player and friend Nam “David” Sou. To his left was a solid player, Jonathan Diolosa, who began the table short. To his left sat the chip leader, and strongest player at the table, John Del Rossi. Unknown to me, two seats over was poker pro Sirous Jamshidi, also short on chips. The rest of the players were a mix of solid regulars and competent amateurs, but only one other player had a stack north of mine.

Hand 1 – A player has been knocked out, and with blinds at $40,000-$80,000 action folds to me in the cutoff and I open to $180,000 with pocket 5s. Sou folds and Diolosa moves all in for $280,000 in the sb. The bb folds and I make the call for an additional $100,000. Diolosa turns over AK, I flop my set, dodge a chopped pot straight draw on the river, and knock out the second player at the table.

Things are fun as I watch players get knocked out in 8th, 7th and 6th place, and my equity increases with each knockout. Then the hand of the tournament occurs.

Hand 2 – Sou raises from the sb into Del Rossi. Del Rossi, still with the chip lead, moves all in. Sou calls. Del Rossi shows A 10 offsuit. Sou shows Ks6s. I was stunned at Sou’s call because he had a lot of chips, but none of it mattered when the flop came down As, 2s xs. Sou flops the nut flush leaving Del Rossi stunned. I am celebrating with Sou on the miracle flop, but pause when a 2 hits the turn. The Ace on the river seals Sou’s fate as Del Rossi goes runner runner full house. There is no doubt in my mind, had Sou won the hand, Sou would have won the tournament. I would have been in trouble with him on my left because of his unpredictable nature.

Hand 3 – We are 4 handed when another key hand comes up. I am in the sb and Del Rossi is in the bb. I had already caught Del Rossi earlier four handed when I called his min-raise from the bb holding A3 and flopped top pair. This time I completed with J9 and Del Rossi checked. The flop came AQ7 rainbow and we both checked. The turn was another Q, and we both checked. The river was a 7 and I checked to Del Rossi who bet $200,000. He might have caught a 7, but I felt J high was good and I called. He tapped the table and surrendered. I showed my J9 sending a message that he was not going to run over me.

Hand 4 – The beginning of the end for Del Rossi. I pick this hand up on the flop with a board of K 2 x. Del Rossi had raised pre flop and was called by the player who would finish second, Vinny Pizaro. Pizaro check raises Del Rossi all in post flop. Del Rossi tanks for a long time and makes the call with KQ, but is crushed by Pizaro’s flopped set of 2s. Del Rossi is crippled by this hand, and Jamshidi finishes him off a few hands later.

Hand 5 – I learned a valuable lesson from this tournament. Read the blog as its being posted. Had I done so, I would have known the player occupying third place when three handed was Jamshidi, who has amassed over 1.6 million in lifetime winnings. I was in second place, Pizaro had the lead. I completed the sb with a weak K and Jamshidi shoved. I folded. A few orbits later, I completed with a suited K6 and Jamshidi shoved again. This time I made the call and found myself behind his A7. However, the call was not for much, and I could easily absorb the hit. No worries as I rivered the 6, took the chip lead and got the match to heads up.

I felt I was the stronger player of the two, and with blinds at $80,000-$160,000, I had almost 5 million chips to Pizaro’s 4 million chips. I figured we could play some poker with these stacks, but none of that mattered as the match was over in 7 hands, on the first all in.

Hand 6 – to read the Borgata blog, one would think I dusted off 4 million chips preflop and caught a 3 outer with a weak hand to win, but here’s how the hand played out. Pizaro completed the sb, and I checked my option from the bb holding Q5 offsuit. The flop came 10 8 5 rainbow. I checked and Pizaro bet $200,000. I made the call with bottom pair. I didn’t take my eyes off Pizaro as the dealer dealt the turn. I then looked down, and saw a beautiful Q. I checked again and Pizaro bet big. I check raised all in and Pizaro snap called with AQ. He thought he had trapped me by limping the big hand. Instead I trapped him with my two pair. All I needed to do was avoid a 10, 8 or A on the river. I was 82% to win my first major event, and when the harmless 2 fell, I was the newest Borgata poker champion.

It took many years and plenty of hard work to reach this goal, but it was worth every minute. I hope I will be able to report more final tables like this from the felt.

Craig

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It’s Thank You Time

November 15th, 2011 Written By: Craig

I am sitting in front of my computer, bleary-eyed and crashing from my adrenaline high after having won Event 6 of the Borgata Fall Poker Open, besting a final table that really didn’t have a weak link on it and that included poker pro Sirous Jamshidi. This was a solid, tough table, and I was able to navigate through it where the best hand I picked up the whole table was 55.

The outpouring of congratulations, well wishes and sheer excitement for my win has been so overwhelming. Here is my thank you to all.

First up – To the guys at Short Stacked radio – Mark H. JJ, Frodo, Ty, Bratz, and Mark. C. and the supporting cast of characters – Rick, Kev and Bryan, especially, thanks for welcoming me into the family. I’m always looking for things to talk about, and this will supply me with plenty of material. Just hope you don’t get tired of hearing it.

Next – Thank you ProPokerGear. You give me the opportunity to share my thoughts on the game. Through that, I approach the game more seriously so when I write about it, I’m not talking out of the wrong side of my body. Thank you for the forum to express my thoughts. It has helped me improve my game.

Dave, Steve and especially Mike – Although our “last longer” was ultimately cancelled, it pushed me to excel beyond my expectations. Having you three on the rail made this victory especially sweet. Your excitement only made my excitement greater.

Up next – the entire Merrick Tournament crew – You guys give me the opportunity to play tournament poker on a regular basis. You challenge me, and make me strive harder to achieve. I look forward to further challenges in the future.

J.H. and Murph – your place gave me the opportunity to really learn this game. I would not have even considered entering a tournament with this super fast structure if I didn’t learn how to play speed poker from you.

To my regular home game crew – Mark, Mike, Tom W., Dan, Izi, and especially Jordan, our host. What can I say? Week after week we get together trading jokes and money. You listen to all my rants and still invite me back. Every skill I can claim to have I learned playing in that room. I look forward to years of all of us growing as players.

Finally, Deena, Alec and Lindsay. I can’t thank you enough for allowing me the opportunity to pursue this dream, and for putting up with my frequent trips and all night card sessions. It has all finally paid off, and hopefully this is the start of bigger and better results. I love you.

Thanks you being said, I will come off the cloud I’m on for the next post where I’ll do a final table breakdown. Til then, I’ll see you on the felt.

Craig

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Why You Need To Mix Things Up or Why You Need To Pay Attention

November 7th, 2011 Written By: Craig

As a student of the game I like to watch all the well done poker shows such as WPT, WSOP, High Stakes Poker and Pokerstars.net Big Game. Recently I was watching a rerun of Pokerstars.net Big Game show. A hand came up between Joe Hachem and Daniel Negreanu which is one of the most interesting hands I’ve ever seen.

This is a big game with $300-600 blinds with antes. The game is pot limit pre-flop and no limit post-flop. Hachem raises to $2,500 from under the gun with J 10 offsuit. Neither card is a spade. Negreanu calls from the big blind with pocket 4s including the spade. The flop comes Ace high, all spades. Hachem bets $3,500 and Negreanu calls. The turn is the Ks. Now Negreanu leads for $5,000. Hachem raises without a spade to $13,000. The river gives Hachem two pair, but he is behind Negreanu’s flush. Negreanu checks and Hachem bets $28,000.

Here’s where the hand gets interesting. Negreanu is sitting on the third worst flush with his 4s. He tanks, then says “The thing is, I’ve seen you do this before.” Negreanu starts talking about a hand Hachem played exactly the same way 2 years ago in High Stakes Poker. Hachem played the exact same pattern on a four flushed board against Howard Lederer, Raise preflop, bet flop, raise turn, bet river. Hachem had absolutely nothing in that hand. Although he had two pair this time, he couldn’t beat a flush, and he knew Negreanu had one.

In this hand, Negreanu was on the verge of calling until David “Viffer” Peat made a comment that led Negreanu to fold.

Because he played the hand exactly the same as an earlier hand, Hachem almost cost himself $50,000.00. This is why you need to mix things up, but more importantly think about the kind of memory and concentration you need to recall a hand your opponent played 2 years earlier against someone else and realize he has just played your hand exactly the same. The best, like Negreanu, can do this.

Everything you do at the table is being observed and mentally recorded by someone. You never know when you will find yourself at the table with someone you played years earlier. It happens to me all the time. I’ll head down to an Atlantic City tournament and find myself seated next to someone I had played with the year before. I am so far ahead of the game when I not only remember who I played against, but how they played as well.

I’m happy to report that when Hachem made his play against Negreanu, I recalled the hand he played against Lederer also. Although I had the insight of seeing both hands as the hand played out, it doesn’t change the fact that I recognized Hachem’s pattern and remembered it from his earlier play.

Keep in mind that whatever play you make, you are being observed by one or more opponents. They are making mental or physical notes of your play. In the future, maybe later in the session, maybe two years later, you will be at the table with one of those opponents who will open up that mental notebook and make a play against you because you failed to mix up your play.

That opponent could very well be me if I see you again

On the felt.

Craig

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Poker Rules and Etiquette 101

September 15th, 2011 Written By: Craig

Poker Rules and Etiquette 101
Having just returned from another few events at the Borgata, it struck me that with the recent influx of online players its high time for a refresher course on basic poker rules and etiquette. Internet players, you must remember you are no longer sitting in your parent’s house in your underwear, swilling beer while clicking computer buttons. There are things you cannot do and other things you should not do. Here’s a primer.
1. You cannot ask a player to check down a hand in a tournament when a third player is all in. People who play live know there is an unwritten rule to check down a hand when you have a third player all in unless you hold the nuts. You don’t need to ask to do it, and can get yourself in trouble if you do.
From the button I called a raise from the cutoff. The SB called. The BB shoved all in. The raiser folded. I called the all in. The SB called the all in. The SB leans back from his seat and gets my attention and says “You want to check it down?” I respond “Sir, you can’t say that. You can be penalized.”
The corollary to this rule is once you break the rules and ask a player to check down, you don’t then bet unless you have the nuts. Here’s how the whole hand played. The CO raised to about $1,900. I called from the button with 7c8c and about $30,000 in my stack. The SB called with about $9,000 in his stack. The BB shoved for $6,000. The raiser folded because I was behind him. With over $10,000 out there I had an easy call. The SB also called. The flop came down J 10 4 with 2 clubs. We both checked. The turn was a 7 giving me a pair and a flush draw. I checked, assuming, the SB would check, but he now bets his last $3,000. I call and we show. The BB had AQo, the SB had Jh9h for a pair and a gutshot straight draw. I showed my pair and flush draw. The river was an 8 giving me two pair, but completing the SB’s straight.
So remember, you cannot ask a player to check down against a third all in, but if you do, you then don’t bet when you hold a single pair with a weak kicker and a weak draw, because unless you can beat the all in, you have defeated the purpose you tried to collude on to obtain.
2. Win your pots graciously. You are not sitting behind a screen where no one can see you. While maybe you used to do the happy dance, naked, in a tub full of jello every time you hit a two outer, you cannot do that when playing in a casino. It is rude, unsportsmanlike and the casinos get upset when they have to clean up all that jello from the floor.
In a $2-5 cash game, I limp called a raise holding 88. The flop comes 8 5 3 with two hearts.. I check to the raiser who bet. I check raised, and he moved all in. I snap called and he asked if I hit a set. I replied “Yes, top set.” The board ran out Kh 9h. I tell him if he has a heart he wins. He says he doesn’t but then adds that he hit a higher set. As I’m was sitting there stunned he then proceeded to stand up and say “Ship It. Yeah!” Guess what my friend. You put in $20 ahead, and $400 behind. You really should just sit down, shut up and quietly stack the chips. Did you see me get up and pump my fist in the air and dance around the table when I told you I had flopped top set? For every pot you win, someone else loses. There is no reason to rub it in their face after you hit a miracle card. Accept your winnings and your good fortune quietly and graciously.
To his credit, when I told my opponent his little show wasn’t appreciated, he apologized and told me he meant no disrespect to me, but that he was on a bad run himself so he got excited when he sucked out to win the pot.
Now that internet poker basically no longer exists for United States citizens, you are going to have to learn how to deal with people again. You will need to crawl out of your caves, face the sun light and actually sit at a table with players. If you plan to do so, you should learn what you can and cannot do, as well as how to properly behave before your actions earn you a penalty from the casino or the anger of a disgruntled opponent. Either would make for an unpleasant experience as you move from the virtual poker world to the felt.
Craig

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Why I Love Poker Players

September 6th, 2011 Written By: Craig

Why I Love Poker Players
In my short career as a poker player, I’ve had the opportunity to play against some of the most prominent players in the world. Regardless of whether I am playing a big event against household names or just sitting at a local $1-2 table, with few exceptions, the players I have met are some of the friendliest, most interesting people I could have imagined.
This past weekend I was presented with an opportunity I could not pass up. I was invited, as a representative of ProPokerGear, to co-host with Mark Hoke Short Stacked Radio broadcasting live from the Parx casino. Previously, I had appeared as a guest on Short-Stacked radio, but sight unseen Mark opened his airwaves to me and from the get go I was made to feel a part of the family. I owe a huge thanks to all the people at Poker Euphoria and Short Stacked Radio for inviting me in and letting me have so much fun.
Parx was running their first major event and quite a few named payers found their way to the poker room. In the course of 5 hours I was able to talk with Chris Torino, the founder of Deep Stacks University and one of the Deep Stack pros, Tristan Wade. Team Bustout members, David Inselberg and Jeff Gross stopped by to chat. Chess Grand Master and poker player Jennifer Shahade called in for a great segment on women in poker. Tatjana Pasalic, player, host and inspiration for the character of the same name in the Web-based poker comedy, the Micros closed out the show.
The best, though, was yet to come. During the tournament dinner break, Mark and I headed to the Parx sport’s pub as we had been invited to join the Deep Stacks crew for dinner. At dinner, in addition to Chris Torino and Tristan Wade, I shared chicken wings and pizza with Michael “The Grinder” Mizrachi and Mike “The Mouth” Matusow. These are two of the best (the players, not the wings and pizza). They have amassed millions in winnings; they have won some of the most prestigious events in poker. They have both final tabled the main event. I was actually having dinner with poker royalty, and you know what? They are just good people. They are friendly, engaging, funny and welcoming.
During my time at Parx I watched as Matusow was greeted by fans, and when asked, he took time to be photographed with them. To a man, or woman, these people always had time for a moment with an admirer, or to head over to the Short Stacked booth and spend a few minutes with Mark and me. In the day of high priced athletes, who charge higher prices for their autographs, poker players remember where they came from and always seem to share a moment with those of us that want to get where they have now gotten.
Thanks to everyone who made the Parx main event, and my first live radio broadcast in 25 years so memorable, and a special thanks to Short Stacked Radio for welcoming me into the family.
Turning to poker…this is a poker blog, in the 7 or so years I have been playing this game as a true student of the game I have finally played the sickest hand I have ever played and may ever play in my life.
I arrived at Borgata on a sunny Sunday afternoon, excited at the prospects of holding court over the $2-5 tables. I sat down in the cut-off, and having just driven 2+ hours, posted the BB as I didn’t want to wait. I was dealt 3h6h and figured there went $5, but after a few limps, I saw a free flop which came out 3x and two hearts, giving me bottom pair and a heart draw. It checked to me so I bet $20 into a $30 pot. The button, SB and BB all called and everyone else folded.
The turn was an offsuit 6 giving me bottom two pair and the heart draw. It checks to me and I bet $60. The button and the SB called and here is where it gets interesting. The BB had his hands tented over his cards. Neither I nor the dealer saw them. The dealer burns a card and starts to expose the river when the BB states he hadn’t yet acted. The floor was called over and the decision was made to expose the card, an offsuit 5, discard it, reshuffle the deck and turn the river. The BB ultimately calls.
Now the 2h rolls off, completing my flush. It checks to me, but I’ve now gone from loving my hand to only liking my hand so I check. The Button bets about $125. The SB check raises all in for about $600. The BB tanks and after a few minutes, makes the call. Action is back to me and I tell the table “Guys I’ve been here all of 5 minutes and this is officially the sickest hand I’ve ever played.” I then fold. After another minute, the Button calls.
The SB shows the nut flush. The button shows the third nut flush. The BB didn’t show. The table looked at me and asked what was so crazy. I told them I only had 3h6h, and would have won a nice pot, but for the hidden cards.
But that’s poker. Crazy things happen on the felt. Next time you are sitting with me, if you are as friendly as all the others I have met, we’ll talk about it some.
Craig

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The World Series 2011

July 18th, 2011 Written By: Craig

This years World Series of Poker has reached new levels of excitement if you are a serious player or fan. In an unprecedented move, the World Series started airing the main event on a half hour delay while it was being played. The 9 finalists will still return in November to play the final table as they have the past few years, but for the first time, we get to watch action on the feature table and secondary feature table, in real time almost as it happens.
While most of it hasn’t been riveting, Lon McCarren has been providing his fine commentary, and he’s had back up from Antonio Esfandiari. In addition, Norman Chad has been on the floor, and pops into the booth during breaks for typical Norman Chad banter. The reporting has been very good, however, I’m somewhat surprised at Esfandiari’s commentary. I haven’t agreed with much of what I’ve heard him say, and he always seems to think that players have monster hands, except when they actually do.

One hand in particular stands out where a player crippled himself with pocket Js on a 10 10 9 board. Esfandiari stated that he couldn’t put the raiser on a 10 because he was somewhat short. Guess what, the raiser had a 10. He also stated he couldn’t fault the caller for calling with pocket Js. I think the way the hand played out it was the easiest fold in the world.

Man there are some maniacs this year – When you get dealt AA or KK you feel pretty confident you are going to win lots of chips if you are against A6 and 22 respectively, not that your tournament is going to be ending.

AA v A6 – Poker pro Shaun Deeb five bets pre flop with AA then calls German Max Heinzellman’s six bet. So Deeb raised, 3 bet reraised, then 5 bet reraised, and the German still shipped his entire stack, about $200,000, with A6. Of course he found a 6 on the flop and a 6 on the river for trips, ending Shaun Deeb’s day.

As sick as that was, nothing can explain Daryl Jace and his pocket 2s. In this hand, Jace raised with 22, he then gets raised and reraised, only to put in a 4th raise to $130,000. One of the raisers then ships in over $400,000 and Jace calls. Keep in mind, after his ill advised 4 bet he still had over $270,000 which was over 110 BBs. Despite this, he still made the call and spiked a 2 to crack KK.

For the life of me I cannot figure out why a player would put his entire tournament on the line with A6 or 22 after there were five raises in front of them, and they were still sitting on a huge pile of chips.

Regardless, I have enjoyed this year’s world series coverage like none other, and look forward to the November 9. I’d like to see Jean Robert Bellande make the final table. He’s always fun to watch.

Finally, big congratulations to my two favorite local players, Eric “Pools” Siegel for his second main event cash in two years and David “Coldstone” Inselberg for his deep run and 307th place finish. You are both remarkable players and performed great.

Craig

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Of Sets and Odds

July 11th, 2011 Written By: Craig

You are sitting on a stack of $185 in a $1-2NL game and you are under the gun. You’ve straddled to $4. The game is 8 handed. Three players limp in and the SB, sitting on a stack of $375, raises to $35. You have pocket 4s. If you put the raiser on a big pocket pair do you call? If your answer is yes, you have a leak that is costing you much over the long term.

Consider that odds are you will flop a set less than once every 7 times you hold a pocket pair. This means that one time in 7 to 8 times you are dealt a pair, the odds dictate you will flop a set. Conversely, 6 to 7 times you will not flop a set. (The actual odds are about 7.5 to 1) Assume each time you flop a set (assuming your opponent does not flop a set, and no over cards hit the board that will slow your opponent down) you will double up. The rest of the time you will fold.
So where’s the leak? You double up or fold…easy game, right?

For all the people that think poker is about gambling it is an easy game, but poker is a math based game. If you want to start winning seriously you have to consider the ramifications of making this call every time. All you need to do is look at the math to see that your play is a long term loser.

Because you start the hand with $185 that is the most you can win. Assume you are dealt pocket 4s seven times one night, and each time you are dealt pocket 4s, your opponent is dealt pocket Qs. Each time your opponent raises to $35. Each time you call. Six times you will fold, one time you will flop a set and win $185. This means that for the six times you folded you invested $210. The one time you win, you win $185. You will realize a net loss of $25. Remember, all this assumes you do double up on the hand. There will be plenty of times you don’t win another dollar, thereby increasing your losses.

Of course, in the right scenarios set mining can be profitable.

First – You are in a multi-way pot and you are either closing the action or are one of the last to act. In the actual hand that prompted this post, I mentioned there were other limpers. While it was unlikely anyone else was going to call the $35, the player with pocket 4s didn’t consider that one of those players might have limped in only to re-raise. If that happens you most likely have to fold your hand without even seeing the flop. If you are closing the action, or close to closing the action, at least you will likely see the flop. In addition, because you are not heads up, you have the opportunity to win more than double your stack.

Second – You and your opponent are sitting on stacks equal to about 10x the raise. In this scenario you and your opponent would need to be sitting on at least $350. You might ask why so much. If I’m losing $210, then don’t I only need to win that amount the time I do flop the set to break even? You aren’t playing this game to break even. You are playing to win money. You have to win more than $210 to make up for not only the times you have to fold after putting in $35, but also for the times you put in $35 and you don’t win any more money. You will not double up every time you hit a set. The only way you are assured of making profitable calls is by playing pots where the implied odds (the odds to win more than what’s already in the pot) make your call profitable.

After this hand played out, discussion ensued where one player stated it was a proper call because his odds were 4-1 and his $35 call netted him $185. This player was grossly mistaken. He was referring to the odds that an underpair will beat an overpair in an all in situation. If pocket 4s and pocket Qs got all the money in preflop, pocket 4s can expect to win once every 5 times. However, pocket 4s can win a number of ways i.e. flop a set, make a straight, make a flush, which accounts for the better odds than purely set mining.

There are only 52 cards in a deck. The math is simple. You and your opponent account for four of those cards. You have two chances in 48 to find the card that beats him. The reward better be worth the risk, otherwise, instead of seeing you on the felt, you will slowly, but surely, be seeing the felt yourself.

Craig

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Poker and the United States of America

June 28th, 2011 Written By: Craig

My last blog was written on April 14, 2011. Little did I know the next day would change the lives of poker players world wide. April 15, 2011 started off as an ordinary day, but by 10:00 a.m. I had discovered what everyone the world over would discover during the next 24 hours.

Claiming violations of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act, among other claims, the U.S Attorney for the Southern District of New York seized the domains of Full Tilt Poker, Pokerstars and Absolute Poker. Travelling to any of those sites got you a screen filled with the Department of Justice warning that the site had been seized.

Over the next 72 hours, the sites all began negotiating with the Department of Justice in an effort to provide gaming to others around the world, and as part of getting their domains back, each site ultimately precluded players located in the United States from playing on their sites.

A little background is needed here. In 2006, Congress passed the SAFE Port act. This act was designed to provide security at ports of entry. Who wouldn’t want such protection? Any congressman voting against such protection would be vilified. Well, this was the chance the anti-gambling establishment was looking for. Attached to the SAFE Ports act was the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA). What does internet gambling have to do with United States ports of entry you might ask? Absolutely nothing, I would answer, but by attaching the UIGEA to this important legislation, the UIGEA was assured passage.

Now the act itself doesn’t prohibit internet poker. It merely prohibits banks doing business in the United States from processing payments to or from gaming sites. To continue conducting business with U.S. players, the sites set up payment processors. If you received a check from Full Tilt Poker it would bear the name “ABC Corporation” or something of the sort. The banks were none the wiser, the players kept playing and everyone was happy. Everyone, that is, except Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who found an opportunity to make a name for himself.

With the snap of his fingers. Holder changed the poker landscape for years to come.

The government of the United States, a government “of the people, by the people, for the people” is really a government of itself, for itself. The current government does not care one iota whether the people of the United States want to play poker. The government, at best, is a self indulgent group of people, that feels it needs to act as parent and protector for every one of the citizens it is supposed to listen to.

Currently 29 of 50 states allow poker in a legal, regulated setting. A few more permit home games. More than 50% of the states in this union allow poker in some form, but the U.S. government has made it virtually impossible for players to pursue this past time from the comfort of their home. How is it that more than 50% of the states permit poker in some form, but the federal government prohibits the ability to play?

I guess I don’t understand how a government founded on the principles of freedom has the ability to prohibit me from pursuing an endeavor I enjoy, that really harms no one. I guess the response would be that gambling leads to addiction, and gambling addiction is harmful. Of course smoking addiction can be deadly, but the U.S. government hasn’t prohibited smoking.

I guess I don’t understand how a group of people can pass laws based upon morality while our leaders are, time and time again, caught with their pants down in some scandal or another.

I guess what I really don’t understand is how a man can walk into a pharmacy in the middle of the day and execute four people with a handgun he owns legally, but I can’t deposit $5.00 online and play a poker tournament after a hard day at work. My government cannot protect me from any lunatic with a legal gun that decides to go off the deep end, but deems it necessary to protect me from myself.

The United States used to be a model for nations around the world to follow. It used to be a beacon for people seeking freedom, but somewhere we got turned around, our priorities were twisted and instead the United States has become a punch line.

I will see you on the felt…unfortunately though, for the time being, that felt won’t be virtual.

Craig

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